Expert Insight: NFL Webinar

In a 2024 NFL webinar, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen. Sills sat down with a panel of experts to discuss the league’s updated rules and the impact of Guardian Caps. “We’ve got two years of data now showing significant concussion reductions in those players that wear Guardian Caps in the NFL,” said Dr. Allen Sills, MD, FACS, Chief Medical Officer of the NFL. “We might actually see a Guardian Cap on a player in a game this year.” The prediction quickly became a reality as players began testing the Caps in live games throughout 2024.

Other experts echoed the value of the technology. “It’s really become a norm here. The players know the Caps. They’ve seen the data; it works. The Guardian Caps have become another piece of equipment that they take to practice. You think about all the head impacts that we’re reducing from players wearing them, and it’s second nature now,” said Brendan Burger, Equipment Director of the Los Angeles Rams.

From a biomechanics perspective, the lab data is equally as strong. “We have tested Guardian Caps in labs and have seen a significant reduction in the impact forces that the head sees when the Guardian Cap is on the helmet. It is very promising in the lab and on the field,” said Dr. Ann Bailey Good, PhD, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Biocore, LLC

And in terms of league policy, Dawn Aponte, NFL Chief Administrator of Football Operations, made clear how much progress has been made. “We have expanded the mandate to all players with the option for quarterback, kicker, and punter.  There is also the option for the player to wear it in the game if he so chooses.”

The Data: Concussions at Historic Lows

The NFL has been transparent in releasing data to measure the impact of Guardian Caps. Looking back to 2022, the position groups required to wear Caps during preseason saw a more than 50% reduction in concussions compared to 2018, 2019, and 2021. There was no increase in concussions after the mandated period ended.

Since the mandate was first introduced (2022), the league reports a 52% decrease in concussions among players at the positions required to wear Caps, compared to the three-year average before the policy went into effect.

The league also published data on impact force reduction:

• If one player in a collision is wearing a Guardian Cap, the Cap absorbs 11-12% of the force
• If both players are wearing Guardian Caps, the impact force is reduced by about 20%

This equipment innovation has already made a measurable difference. In fact, the NFL reported that Guardian Caps worn during training camp practices helped the league realize a seven-year low in training camp concussions.